This memoir is about family - love, death, perseverance. When the author's 38 year-old daughter dies suddenly, leaving three young children and a husband, the author and his wife move in with their son-in-law and grandchildren to help preserve the family as their daughter would have wanted it. This is a poignant and subtly brutal story of the impact of sudden death on those left behind.

My own husband dealt with a similar situation. When he was 24 years old, his wife died, leaving him to care for a two week old daughter on his own. Reading this story brought tears to my eyes, not only for the losses, but for the love and endurance of this family. They are blessed to have one another.

Daniel A. (Naugatuck, CT)(11/12/09)

Making Toast

I enjoyed reading this memoir very much. It is fast paced and a page-turner. The book is composed of short paragraphs for each idea or story, and there are 118 of them. (yes, I counted.)

Making Toast is not only about the breakfast ritual each morning, but it is also the process that connects every idea together. It is well written.

Amanda N. (Murfreesboro, TN)(11/11/09)

Making Toast

Rosenblatt's memoir is so heartbreakingly honest; I read it in one sitting and was sad to see it end. I highly recommend this book to fans of Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking and Kelly Corrigan's The Middle Place. Highly recommended.

Angela S. (Howell, MI)(11/10/09)

Making Toast

It is easy to see how this book would appeal to people who have gone through the experience of losing a child, and the aftermath of living without that loved one. I expected to feel this family's grief and ache and I did, but it was not necessarily due to the words on the page. This book just did not have the depth I had hoped for, and seemed too choppy for me. There were funny moments and certainly sad moments, but none that made me laugh out loud or shed a tear.

Iris F. (W. Bloomfield, Michigan)(11/08/09)

Making Toast

Losing a child has to be every parents worst nightmare. In choosing to review Making Toast, a memoir written by a man who has suffered such a loss, I expected to be caught up in an emotionally charged discourse that would be somewhat difficult to read.

As an award written essayist, there is no question as to the quality of the writing. However, the book has no logical order and at times seems to have been written in a stream of consciousness. The narrative is told factually with little emotion perhaps due to the authors training an a journalist. It felt like he was an observer rather than a participant in the tragedy of this young family.

While sounding to be contradictory, the author's love and devotion to his deceased daughter and his extended family resonate clearly. I just wish he had been more forthcoming about his feelings.

Debbie M. (grand junction, CO)(11/07/09)

Making Toast

Every parent's worst nightmare, the death of a child, no matter what age. Roger Rosenblatt takes us through the first year after his daughter's death. He and his wife are there for his son-in-law and grandchildren. Rosenblatt is an excellent story teller and softens the pain he must have been going through with tales of his grandchildren as he helps them with their loss. A story of love and lessons we can all learn from.

Peggy H. (North East, PA)(11/06/09)

Toast a Little Dry

Making Toast is a gentle tale that reads like a reality show camera aiming at this heartbroken family. Unfortunately, although the story is tragic, it is curiously disaffecting. I couldn't help but think of how different this story would be if the family weren't so privileged and had fewer options available.

Marjorie W. (Bonita Springs, FL)(11/03/09)

Making Toast

What a heartwarming story! What could be a depressing tale becomes a tribute not only to Amy, but to Harris, Ginny and Roger. I felt the sorrow of all the characters, but I also felt the love that made it all work. This will be a book that I will read more than once and will recommend it to my friends.

Books that entertain, engage & enlighten

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends books that we believe to be best in class. Books that will whisk you to faraway places and times, that will expand your mind and challenge you -- the kinds of books you just can't wait to tell your friends about.

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info & giveaways by email.